Brightness and Darkness
by The Ice Within
Summary: She leads two lives. One bright, the other dark. Which one would she choose? To save herself, or save everyone else? AR. Not AH. OC.
1. Chapter 1

**A nod of acknowledgment to Tokoloshe Monster, Midnightflyte, and Crane's Shadow for they have written stories and one-shots dedicated to me. Please check them out in the links on my profile. Thanks!**

"Mom, Dad! Lorna! Would you get this gate open?" Draco banged open the front gate of the Malfoy Manor.

The Malfoy Manor was grand and it was obvious the occupants within it were more than wealthy. A high, manicured yew hedge bordered the driveway on both sides. The wrought-iron gates and front door were both made of the finest materials. Peacocks run freely around the grounds of the manor, around the fountain and at the front gates of the house.

"Get off me, you idiots." Draco tried to pry off the sharp beaks of the peacocks- nuisances.

"Shh! Draco, would you ever learn not to shout Lorna's name so loudly out here?" Lucius Malfoy, Draco's dad hissed angrily.

Draco's mother- Narcissa Black Malfoy- stood at the front porch of the house, waving them in anxiously.

Ever since the Malfoys heard rumors about Voldemort wanting to make Draco a Death Eater, they had been even more anxious to keep Lorna a secret. After all, they couldn't bear to lose both.

As Draco walked inside, a little girl crouched in the corner of the living room- she was beautiful. Silvery white hair fell from her shoulders down until her waist. Her blue eyes shone brightly, though no emotions were shown in it. Her face was pale, just like the rest of the Malfoy family, but her slim frame and the kind aura that vibrated off her was extraordinary- never found in the Malfoy family before. But she was still someone Lucius, Narcissa and Draco loved dearly- she was Draco's little sister.

"Welcome home, Draco." Lorna's soft voice whispered.

Draco crouched down and brushed away the hair that fell into her eyes gently. Lorna was the only one who ever felt Draco's care and love before- something that Lucius and Narcissa found surprising.

"Everything's okay at home?" Draco asked her softly.

She nodded slightly, but her eyes were troubled when she met Draco's eyes, "You can't."

"I can't? I can't what?"

Just as Lorna was about to open her mouth, Narcissa cleared her throat and interrupted them, "Let's go up to the second floor dining room and celebrate your graduation."

"Celebrate? We never celebrate." Draco remarked dryly.

Lucius glared at his son and Draco obeyed silently. Lorna stood up and trailed behind them as Narcissa hurriedly closed all curtains to keep Lorna's identity a secret.

Lorna had always felt self-conscious and guilty when her mom and dad were so anxious around her, trying to keep her presence a secret. In her 11-year life, she never went out of the front gates of the Malfoy Manor before- her whole life was bound to the manor, never to go out. But next year, it was time for her first year at Hogwarts, and sixth year for Draco. It would be even harder to keep her identity a secret. She would have to use a fake last name and pretend to not know anyone at school- it was going to be the biggest challenge of her life. If Voldemort found out about her, she would of course, become a Death Eater too- especially when her Witchcraft was so good- she spent all her life in the manor, what else could she do then read and read again?

Draco noticed Lorna's discomfort almost immediately after Narcissa joined them at the table, after checking again and again that the windows and curtains were closed and drawn.

"Mom, do we really need to do this every time?" Draco waved a hand around him, indicating the drawn curtains and locked doors.

"You already know the answer, my dear."

Draco sighed.

After eating a silent meal, Lucius spoke, "Draco, I think you already have heard."

"Heard what?"

"Do not interrupt me." Lucius spoke harshly.

"No, he can't." Lorna whispered, "Never."

"What did I just say? Do not interrupt me." Lucius' eyes were now ablaze with anger.

"But…" Lorna started to protest.

Lucius stood up and walked over to his now trembling daughter. Though her eyes didn't show fear, it was obvious that she was scared of her father. Narcissa stood up and laid a hand on Lucius' shoulder, trying to stop him, only to be thrown harshly back onto her chair.

_Slap._

Lorna fell out of her chair roughly; her hand covering her bruised left cheek.

"Stand up. _Now._"

Lorna obeyed quickly, not wanting to anger him any further.

"_Flipendo!_" A vase was knocked backwards, crashing down onto the tiled floors.

Lorna jumped back nimbly, away from the broken vase. With a flick of Lucius' wand, Lorna was thrown off her feet once again, knocking her forehead in the process.

"Father! Stop it!" Draco yelled at him.

Lucius lowered his wand, breathing heavily, and knelt down beside Lorna.

"I'm sorry. Lost my temper. Too many things in mind." Lucius said.

He touched her bruised cheek gently; proud there wasn't a tear in sight on her face, only to feel her flinch slightly as his hand made contact with her.

Draco walked forward briskly, pushing his father aside, knowing but not caring that his father would punish him for his bad manners. But for once, Lucius let the matter go.

Draco knelt down and inspected her wounds, blood trickled down her forehead, and her cheek was swollen and turning slightly blue. Lorna whimpered slightly when Draco tried to wash away the blood on her face, but more blood continued to trickle down.

Lorna's head pounded, her eyesight slowly blurred. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sank into unconsciousness.

"Oh, Lucius. Why did you go so harsh on her?"

"Narcissa, you know very well that she has to obey me, or else she would be forced to become a Death Eater just like Draco."

Draco shuddered, just the mere thought of being a Death Eater, doing things that he didn't want to do, was bad enough. And the thought that his father had just come out of Azkaban and that he could end up being there too was worse than anything.

"Shush, now let's bring her to her bedroom. Draco, you'll stay with her and treat to her wounds. Lucius and I have some things to discuss about next year." And with that, they turned away and climbed the stairs towards their bedroom.

Draco sighed as he carried Lorna up to her bedroom on the fourth floor, next to his.

"_Ferula._" Draco muttered under his breath. A white bandage wrapped itself around Lorna's head and temporarily stopped the blood. Draco sat down at the side of the bed and watched over Lorna until she woke up.

At first, it was a shock and surprise to the Malfoy family that they were having yet another child. And Draco had been somewhat jealous of Lorna and learnt to hate her. But through days and months, their relationship became better and better, until Draco found himself learning how to love and care for a girl that is so much smaller than him. Whenever he had time, he would spend time with Lorna and tell her stories about Hogwarts. He never kept any secrets from her- he trusted her to keep secrets secret.

There were a few occasions when they were alone at home, and Draco just couldn't resist taking her out for a walk.

"_Let's go out for a walk, okay?" Draco asked Lorna._

"_But mom said we can't." Lorna stubbornly shook her head, even though her mind and instinct were against her._

"_We won't go out of the front gate. And they're coming back tomorrow. We have a lot of time."_

_Lorna smiled and nodded. Draco had just started getting along with her last year, when she was seven or so, and she was happy that she could be alone with her dear brother. She was so excited; it was her first time going out in her eight-year life- she didn't even know there were peacocks in their manor._

"_Go get a coat, it's freezing outside."_

_After a quick changing and preparation, they set out 'exploring' the manor, sure that nothing will go wrong._

_How wrong they were._

_Lucius and Narcissa had to choose this time to come back for a break before they went out for another mission for the Dark Lord._

_What they saw made both parents angry and humored; they didn't know to laugh or yell at them:_

_Lorna and Draco were having fun playing with the snow- building snowmen, having a snow fight._

_A snowball found its way towards Lorna's face before she got the time to dodge it. She giggled and attempted to throw it back towards Draco, only to find him standing rigid still. Lorna followed his gaze and gasped._

_They were found outside the house. They were so dead._

_Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all, Narcissa was trying but failing to suppress a smile and Lucius was shaking his head, bemused._

_Before any of them realized it, Draco was laying on the floor, blood oozing out of his nose and head._

"_Draco. No." Lorna ran towards him and held him towards her, gently putting her head on her lap, "It was my fault. I wanted to come out. I dragged him. Please, stop."_

_Tears were circling in Lorna's eyes, and Lucius' heart softened. Lorna never cried before. Not even when she was hurt herself. She wasn't much of a crybaby when she was an infant either. But she was crying over someone who just accepted her not long ago. It was more or less… touching. Not that Lucius would ever admit he felt _touched.

_So all he did was lower his wand and stalked into the house._

_Narcissa helped Lorna bring Draco to his room. And Lorna never left Draco's side until he fully healed. She didn't sleep for three nights._

Now, Draco would stay by her side too, just like she did when she was so young. Draco didn't mind that he would obviously have to stay up longer than she did, as she was weaker than he was- staying in the manor with no fresh air haven't done her any good, her healing ability was worse than most.

It was late at night when Lorna stirred and her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Draco." Her voice was hoarse, "Why are you here? It's late."

Draco smiled and helped her arrange her bed sheet so it would be more comfortable. She shivered slightly and her eyes were clouded with pain, but she smiled despite it.

"I'm okay."

Draco shook his head, "Really? You can't even talk properly."

Lorna gave up trying to make him go to bed.

"Go to sleep. You'll need it to heal faster."

"I can't," she yawned.

"Tell me something that happened at your school. I'm going to Hogwarts too."

Draco froze. _Right, she was going to Hogwarts. Wasn't that what everyone was worried about? Not only because of her socializing problems, but her identity was suppose to be kept _secret. Draco thought smugly.

"What's wrong? Are you ill?" Concern flashed in her eyes for a moment before it became blank again- it was something that all Malfoys had been trained for in order to keep at the Dark Lord's _good _side- as if there was one.

Draco shook his head, "No. Here, I'll tell you something about my fifth year."

"You take your O.W.L exams right?"

Draco smiled at her innocence and nodded.

"I was made Prefect this year and was also one of the few students that Professor Umbridge likes. But to tell the truth, I didn't like her at all, even though I could punish Harry all I want, I disliked her attitude and personality overall."

"Why are you always so mean to Harry?"

"You'll see why when you get there. Anyways, close to the end of the year, Fred and George ditched school after giving Professor Umbridge a total living nightmare."

And Draco continued telling her random things that happened throughout the year until she fell asleep once again. He didn't tell her the main things that happened- things that related to Voldemort and his Death Eaters- he didn't want to scare her. It was best if she led a normal life like every other student in Hogwarts.

Little did any of them to know that Lorna's friendliness revealed her identity to the Dark Lord. And the only person to blame was Harry and his gang- the people who befriended Lorna and found out about their secret…


	2. Chapter 2

**A nod of acknowledgement to Matt and xXMizz Alec VolturiXx for reviewing the first chapter**

There was still one week until the first day of Hogwarts, but the Malfoys liked to organize things beforehand. Lucius, Narcissa and Draco just came back from their shopping of school supplies, arguing about yet another non-important subject. The family was in a bad mood, meeting that _Potter boy _and his no-good _Mudblood_ friend and _Weasley_. Draco sneered in disgust. It was enough to drive them over the board.

Lucius flung the supplies at the floor the moment he got into the house. Ink bottles, books and other miscellaneous things scattered over the floor, causing a mess. Narcissa groaned under her breath but dared not complain.

Lorna unfolded her legs and walked out behind the couches, crouching to pick up the books. Smoothing the cover to Draco's sixth year textbooks. Her eyes caught sight of some second-handed books, obviously first year 'magic basics'. Scooting over slightly, she picked them up and smiled softly. Finally! Finally she was going to school with Draco.

Inside, her feelings were turmoil – anxiety, nervousness, excitement – she didn't know which one to feel. Anxious that she wouldn't make the Malfoy family proud, not that anyone would find out she was related to them; nervous that she would somehow reveal her secret; excited that she can finally go somewhere outside the Malfoy Manor, breathing in the fresh air and at last seeing how wide the blue sky really is.

She sighed. She knew she would have to live in a life of lies and fakery once again. She was used to it, hiding in the house for her whole life, hearing her parents lie that there wasn't any other presence in the house… but she had wanted to start over – a new beginning, a new life. She didn't want to continue lying, acting as someone she isn't and will never be. It hurts, having an identity that she was proud of, and yet, not being able to 'broadcast' it. For once, perhaps her shyness would be able to cover up and fill in the holes of her secrets.

Her greatest worry still held on to her, unwilling to let go. Will she ever get true friends? She knew it would be soon that everyone would find her weird, a mystery that no one wants to solve. People would start turning away from her, ignoring her presence. She didn't want that to happen, but she prepared herself for that already. She had lived a solitary life for years; maybe she could even convince herself that she didn't like noisy and bizarre life that others call 'normal'. Perhaps she'll even want to go back to a life where no one gives her a second glance, as if she was just another flowerpot in the humongous Malfoy Manor.

"Let me help," Draco reached over and took the books from her.

For once, she didn't reply to her brother. Without replying, she nodded slightly and stood up. Her features were as usual, emotionless, yet they all knew what was bothering her. They let her walk to her room without calling her back; they let her lock the door without pounding for her to open it up. They let her off all the manners for once, allowing her to calm herself down, to organize her thoughts.

*HP**HP*

It was time for dinner and still Lorna hadn't come down to prepare the table. Draco's gaze met his mother's and she nodded slightly, indicating he should go up and check on Lorna.

Climbing the stairs quickly, he softly knocked on the door only to be responded by silence. Fishing out the multiple keys he selected the smallest one and inserted it into the keyhole. Turning the knob, he peered into the room tentatively. He found Lorna fast asleep on top of her bed sheets.

One leg hanging over the bed frame, the other curled up close to her chest.

Something caught the dim afternoon sunlight. Draco looked over at the sleeping form of the girl he learnt to love and found something sticking out of her jean pockets. Walking over quietly, careful not to wake her up, he untangled the object and pulled it out. A necklace symbolizing their family's love – at least between Draco and Lorna.

A serpent and a fox entwined on a Laurel tree.

Draco's symbol – the life of tree. His name means 'serpent' or 'dragon'. Lorna's symbol is the Laurel Tree and her name means 'fox'.

Draco brushed the necklace with his thumb, the side of his mouth twitching slowly into a smile.

*HP**HP*

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" Lorna asked a girl with bushy brown hair.

The girl grinned friendly and shook her head, patting the seat beside her to show that Lorna could sit there.

Two boys sat across from her, clearly in the same year as she was in.

"Hi, I'm Hermione. This is Harry and Ron. We're all in Year 6 and in Gryffindor." The girl introduced herself and her friends.

_Harry. _Her eyes trailed to the boy's hairline, catching sight of the faint lightning bolt on his forehead. _Harry Potter_. The person her family hated the most, and she was sitting in the same compartment with all 3 of them.

_I guess I could just use this as part of my cover._

"First year here?" Ron spoke for the first time.

Lorna nodded quickly before breaking their eye contact. She still wasn't so used to socializing with others apart from Draco and their parents.

The trio noticed this but let it go, though they felt something strange about the girl – at least she seemed friendly.

Ron and Hermione stood up, looking at their watches.

"We have to go around the train – Prefect duty. Be back in a jiffy." Hermione said hastily before following Ron out.

"I guess it's only us for the moment. Want anything to eat?" Harry asked.

Lorna looked over at the food trolley and pointed at the Every-flavored beans.

Harry paid and handed them over. Lorna quickly took out her own money and repaid him, "Here. Thanks for buying it for me. Not really used to it." She finished off awkwardly.

Harry chuckled, inside he had a feeling the girl wasn't telling them everything. In fact, the girl seemed to be a book of mysteries and he was going to find out what the answers to them are.

*HP**HP*

**AN: Sorry for the shortness and lateness of the chapter. I really have a lot of homework and I had serious writers' block and stuff like that. I'm not making excuses, promise!**

**Anyone have any ideas for events to show the building friendship between Lorna and the trio? And which house should Lorna be in? Slytherin or Griffindor?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update… I haven't been on Fanfiction since the start of the year; I've been so busy. My apologies. This is just a filler chapter, so it will be very short, sorry :P**

Harry chuckled softly to himself as he watched Lorna quickly spit out the foul-flavored Every-flavored bean, her face twisting in disgust. Catching Harry's glance, she glanced away hurriedly, lowering her face to cover the tiniest evidence of her blush.

"You can never hide your blush, with that pale face of yours." Ron remarked not unkindly.

"Shush Ron," Hermione smacked him on the arm playfully, "Be nice."

Lorna watched them in silent amazement, wondering how such a tiny subject can lead to such a friendly fight. Is this how people communicated here? So carefree and regardless of what others might think of them, saying what they wanted to say because they were friends?

_Friends._ Lorna thought sadly. Will she ever find friends?

"Draco isn't coming to bother us this year, is he? He should be here by now. I even prepared some tricks from George and Fred's shop." Ron commented.

"He'll be here alright," Harry smirked.

Something twisted inside Lorna. Guilt? Sadness? She couldn't figure it out. Did Draco really come to their cabin every year and taunted them, mocked them because of their family backgrounds? It wasn't right, Lorna knew, but she couldn't do anything about it – it wasn't Draco's fault, he was brought up this way after all.

"There he is." Hermione pointed towards the end of the hall.

Lorna peered outside the cabin door and saw her brother stalking towards her, his ever-loyal 'friends', Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Lorna didn't know which one shocked her more – the coldness in Draco's eyes or the way he slammed opened the door of their cabin.

Their eyes met, and Draco's mouth hung open slightly. It was only a brief eye contact, but it seemed like forever. Lorna looked away first, her face still wiped blank of emotions.

"Who is this?" Crabbe walked forward clumsily and grabbed Lorna by her hair. She had attended various private lessons that were taught by Lucius Malfoy himself, including self-defense and the basic combat skills. As her hand dug into her pockets for her wand, she saw Draco slowly shaking his head at her. She gasped, she nearly forgot.

"_Do you remember what your fake identity is, daughter?" Narcissa asked her for the hundredth time that morning._

"_Yes mother."_

"_What's your name?"_

"_Lorna Grayson. Age 11. Parents died in a car crash a few months ago and I have been living with a distant relative."_

"_Very good." Narcissa patted her gently on the shoulder before walking back into her bedroom to retrieve her coat._

_Lucius beckoned for Lorna to go to him as he shrugged on his coat._

"_Yes sir?" She asked quietly._

"_You have to remember not to show that you have been trained before. Your family is poor, that's why you have to use these second-hand spell books. It will be contradictory if you show any signs of before-hand training, is that understood?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"Let her go Crabbe." Draco commanded smoothly.

"But Draco, she's…"

"I said, _let her go._" An icy edge has crept into his voice; Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise.

"Let's go." And without a backward glance, Draco and his two alliances stalked out of the room.

"You okay?" Hermione asked when she saw Lorna flinch away as she sat down beside her.

"Yes, thanks."

*HP**HP*

The train seemed to drive faster for the remainder of the journey, which was spent in silence between the four children, surrounding mountains blurred in Lorna's vision. As they filed out of the train and was greeted by Hagrid, a fairly large man with a friendly face, Lorna started to get a little nervous. What if she didn't get into Slytherin? What would mother and father think of her? Will she bring shame to the family? If she was to get into Gryffindor, she knew she was in for some severe punishment – there wasn't a bigger humiliation to her family. But again, no one knew she was part of the Malfoys, did they? To them, she was Lorna Grayson, not Lorna Malfoy.

She hopped onto the boats nimbly, gazing out at the Black Lake and the luminous moon above her, when she felt a faint whisper in the wind. She didn't hear it; she felt it.

It was gentle, like a calm breeze tickling her arm. She couldn't figure out the words, but the feeling calmed her.

She sighed. Even before she set feet into Hogwarts, there was already a mystery to be solved.

**Again, my apologies for the lateness, shortness of the chapter – but I did say it was a filler!**


	4. Chapter 4

Students filed into the building and sat down at their respective tables – Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. There was the usual light-hearted chatter and share of holiday vacations. The atmosphere was light and cheerful all around the dining room – all except for the small corner near the door of the room where the first year students stood shuffling awkwardly, hands trembling as they buttoned and unbuttoned their robes again and again.

Silence descended as Dumbledore stood up from his table on the stage, his hands raised above his head to call for attention. "The time has come to us again to welcome yet another set of new students. Welcome first years!" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with his usual kindness and friendly authority. Hearing the warm welcome speech and welcoming applause that followed soon after the headmaster's words eased the nervousness among the new students.

"Your names will be called alphabetically later, when your name is called please take a seat on the stool and place the hat on your head so you can be sorted into your respective houses."

"_Remember to repeat your cover name inside your head when the hat is placed on your head, we don't want that stupid old hat to ruin our cover story." _Lucius Malfoy's cold voice sent a shudder down Lorna's spine as she set her shoulders and followed the line as they walked forward towards their seats to await the introductory song the hat gave every year.

There was a collective gasp as the battered old hat on the stool shuddered and started singing in its rough yet clear voice.

_Do not judge me by my look,_

_As I have predicted destiny of many._

_I know more than any book,_

…

The rest of the song was drowned by the overwhelming thoughts that gathered inside Lorna's head. _Which house would she be sorted into? What if she was in Gryffindor, what would Draco think? If she were in Gryffindor, wouldn't that be a better cover story?_

"Abigail Airhead."

A short black-haired girl walked up the stage with a surprisingly familiar haughtiness. The hat was placed on her head quickly; after a moment's decision, the tear at the brim of the hat opened and shouted a single word, "Slytherin!"

Lorna's gaze followed Abigail as she walked towards the Slytherin table where the students there welcomed her warmly. Her eyes settled on her brother as he sat at the edge of the table, waiting for the next first-year to step on stage. As if feeling the intensity of her glance, Draco turned and locked eyes with her for a brief moment. He nodded slightly, assuring her that everything was under control and that everything will be okay. Only Draco was able to comfort her with just a single, quick gesture.

"Lorna Grayson."

Her head snapped back towards the stage and realized that everyone in front of her has already gotten to their respective tables. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. That was when she felt it again – the gentle tickle along her arm, the feeling that someone or _something _was talking to her. It was the exact same as last time except for the fact that she heard what it was saying. It was repeating something over and over again as if chanting an ancient rhyme.

_Your destiny is planned, your destiny is planned…_

What was that suppose to mean? Lorna shook her head to clear all the thoughts and decided that she was merely hearing things.

As the hat was placed on her head she whispered to herself, "Lorna Grayson. Lorna Grayson."

She felt a deep vibration and realized the hat was chuckling, "Lorna Grayson is it? This is going to get interesting."

"Please," She heard herself think as she realized the hat knew Grayson wasn't her real last name, "Don't ruin the cover story."

"I won't," A deep voice answered her, "If I were to place you with your real name, it would have been very easy, it would have been Slytherin immediately."

A sense of dread spread in her chest as she heard this. She wasn't going to be in the same house as Draco!

"But sense your last name is Grayson, your true family background does not hinder my choices. According to your personality, Gryffindor it is."

The hat raised his voice and shouted clearly, "Gryffindor!"

She couldn't look at the Slytherin table as the Gryffindor's table erupted with cheers, of which Harry and his two friends' cheered the loudest. Instead, she turned her head towards the place where the professors sat as she walked down the stage and made her way towards the Gryffindor table slowly. Dumbledore's eyes still held the same friendliness as he watched the next first-year walk up the stage nervously and was almost immediately classified to the Hufflepuff house. Her eyes traveled towards the right side of the line of professors and found herself locking eyes with someone with a large hooked nose.

He was thinner than the rest of the professors and made an immediate contrast with the half-giant that was sitting close beside him. He was dressed in flowing back robes, his shoulder-length black hair made his eyes more penetrating and the curl of distaste on his lips even more pronounced.

_Distaste?_ Where did that word come from? How did Lorna feel the distaste from the professor that easily? Lorna took her seat at the Gryffindor table quietly, tearing her gaze away from the professor. Hermione noticing her previous gesture, whispered to her softly, "That's the Defense of Dark Arts teacher, he holds a personal grudge against all Gryffindor students, especially to Harry and us. He is the head of Slytherin and his name is Severus Snape. Professor Snape."

Lorna nodded silently, stealing another glance at the sullen-looking professor. He was no longer looking towards her but watching another Slytherin first-year take his seat at his house table. Taking this as an opportunity, she looked back and caught sight of his brother. He was looking at her, his anger barely contained. She swallowed and looked away, feeling a sense of overwhelming guilt.

Never had she made Draco angry or upset before. In fact, it was quite the opposite – she was always the one to make him smile, the one that could invite the other rarely seen caring side of Draco. This was the first time she had seen Draco this angry, so angry that he couldn't even hide the frustration and disappointment from evaporating from his usual aura of calmness. And it hurt to know that she was the reason for his lost of temper. She decided immediately that she was going to apologize to him some way or the other that very night and explain the conversation that she had with the hat.

But she never got the chance to explain.

~HP~HP~

She sneaked out of her dormitory that night and wandered around the halls, looking for the place Draco had given her on a piece of crumpled paper when they filed out of the dining room that afternoon. He had been seething, his voice trembled with rage when he said, "Meet me here tonight." And stalked away to do his duty as a prefect.

She stopped as she saw the place Draco described in his short note. _The Room of Requirements, _he had written.

"So I see you have come as told, little Gryffindor student."

It took a moment before Lorna got her shock under control and realized that the cold and distant voice that had spoken to her was from her brother.

Before she could respond, however, a fist connected with her stomach and she crumpled to the ground. It took all her strength to not lose consciousness.

"Disgrace…"

_NO! I'm not a disgrace. You don't understand, Draco. Let me explain what the hat told me. _But these words were never spoken out loud as she was mercilessly dragged into blackness.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A shout-out for xXMizz Alec VolturiXx for reviewing every single chapter **__***bow* Thank you! This chapter is dedicated to you~**_

The moment her head hit the floor, an overwhelming sense of guilt engulfed Draco. He looked down at his clenched fist and swore one ugly word. As if snapping out of a daze, he quickly knelt down and held Lorna's head in his lap.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Lorna, I'm so sorry." He murmured as his fingers played with a stray strand of hair, brushing it away from the large gash that formed on her forehead.

He closed his eyes slowly; trying to blink back the pain and regret that was building up in his chest. Memories swam in his mind – memories of Lorna standing up for him every time Lucius' temper was threatening to harm Draco; memories of her hitting him with her very first snowball; her smile; her anxious eyes when she learnt that he was becoming a Death Eater.

"It's fine." The familiar, soft voice echoed in his ears as his eyes snapped open immediately. Relief flooded in his very being as a small smile graced her lips.

"Lorna." It was spoken in a way that shows that a person have repeated it for so many times that it rolled off his tongue easily and naturally. Draco admired the sound of the word. It was a simple word, but it brought so much happiness and calmness – perhaps that was what softened Draco's heart at the very beginning.

Lorna flinched slightly when Draco's fingers touched the gash on her forehead, drawing away from his thin fingers. The instinctive action shocked Draco greatly, guilt and sadness crashed down on him mercilessly.

~HP~HP~

Draco was getting sleepy. This was his second night at the infirmary, having made a ridiculous tale that he found Lorna at the edge of the Gryffindor's door after midnight. And he accidentally struck out, thinking it was an intruder. A Slytherin looking after a Gryffindor wasn't a normal sight, so all Draco could do was sneak into the Hospital Wing after Madam Pomfrey has gone to sleep.

Lorna had been sleeping restlessly for the past two days, waking up from countless nightmares and calling out Draco's name softly – too quiet for Madam Pomfrey to hear. During these times, Draco was always there when she woke, gasping for breath, her terrified eyes searching for protection.

It was only when she fall asleep again that Draco let himself close his eyes.

"_Draco, come here. We need to talk."_

_Lucius and Narcissa stood at the edge of Draco's bed, bidding him to sit next to them. Draco walked over cautiously, his eyes silently asking for more information._

_Narcissa was restless, her hands intertwining and untwining her fingers again and again. Her lips were set into a thin line, barely noticeable against her pale skin._

"_What is it?" Draco asked, finally getting tired of waiting for an answer. "If you're just going to sit there in silence, I have better things to do."_

_Ignoring his father's warning glare, he was about to walk out of the room when Lucius spoke, "You're becoming a Death Eater."_

"What?_" His voice was hoarse, hardly able to contain his surprise and rage._

"_You heard what I said. I do not wish to repeat myself," Lucius stood up and dusted his pants. He stalked out the door without another word._

_Shooting Draco a sympathetic glance, Narcissa followed out quickly._

_In the dream, Draco heard the quiet sobbing in his closet more pronounced than ever._

"Lorna…" He whispered.

"Yes?" Her quiet voice answered him softly, her hands reaching to grasp his hand.

His eyes opened slowly, blinking away the light that seeped out of the blinds.

"You're awake. Do you want some water?"

She shook her head, careful not to touch her forehead on the pillow.

"Drink some," he insisted, handing her a cup, "You haven't had anything for two whole days."

Lorna shook her head once again, "I don't want to. Draco, I need to tell you something."

Setting down the cup on the bedside table, Draco gave Lorna her full attention, "Okay."

"I had a conversation with the hat." Lorna said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Draco smiled at her, "Oh? You did? Tell me what it said."

~HP~HP~

When the two siblings were having a light-hearted chat in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a group of people was planning their deadly attack…

**A/N I know this chapter is very short – I'm sorry. It's a filler. Second week of school has been hectic.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you Aki-x-Tsubasa for reviewing every chapter and having awesome PM chats with me! It's awesome that we share the same birthday!**_

It happened too suddenly, all was a blur to her. She remembered Draco's surprised shout and his hasty retreat, and then she was running down the hallways, ignoring the pounding pain on her forehead.

She whisked past the dormitories, pushed past the students that were filing out of their morning classes to gather in the Great Hall. But Lorna wouldn't be going there – she's going to find out whatever is happening and she was going to help.

~HP~HP~

They were surrounded. Faced masked, robes wrapped tightly around their bodies – they dressed similar to the Death Eaters, but they denied the fact. Then who were they? They didn't work for Voldemort, but they held no mercy to the Hogwarts students either.

"Lorna," Draco hissed, "What in the name of Merlin's beard are you doing here?"

Lorna didn't answer; she knew she was disobeying her father's orders to stay away from any possible danger, but she couldn't let Draco fight alone.

She felt Draco's burning gaze on her; she avoided eye contact. Mixed feelings bubbled up inside her – she felt excited, as this was her first battle, anxious that she wouldn't be much of help, and then there was that little bit of fear that she just barely pushed down. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. This was it.

There was a long, awkward silence shared between the groups. Neither budged or was willing to make the first move. They were all waiting for the other to show their weakness and that little bizarre hope of having their opponents to step down and surrender even before the battle has started. But they all knew it wouldn't happen, they all knew one of them would have to start.

So sharing unspoken words, they prepared for battle.

There was a roar of anger, and then the clash of jinxes and spells – both sides had started at the same time.

Of course, back in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the witches and wizards did not fail to notice the chaos that the fighters were causing below.

Professor McGonagall silenced the group of chattering students with a wave of her hand, "Professor Dumbledore would like to speak to you all. He will give you a brief outline of what is going on… out there." Professor McGonagall's familiar stiff and brief speech allowed the students to relax. The familiarity was welcomed greatly at such a time.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with its usual kindness and warmth, "Students of Hogwarts, tonight is a special night. We shall not fear the unknown, nor should we step down in defeat. Our professors and several Ministers have already made their way to the battle scene. They will defend Hogwarts without causing too much bloodshed. We will spend the night here in the Great Halls, I am sure that by tomorrow morning, everything would be as before."

The anxiety and suspense inside the Great Halls seem to drop immediately. Usually, it would have been the glare of Professor Snape, or the bright smile of Hagrid's that would make everyone silent and attentive. But today, only with two professors present, Professor Dumbledore's speech has made a great affect.

Suddenly, Harry felt a sharp stab on the side of his stomach, "Ow, Hermione, what the heck?" He hissed under his breath, rubbing the side of his stomach furiously.

The look she gave him made Ron smile, it was the most normal thing that happened that night. Perhaps the rest of the school didn't notice, but the trio did. Professor Dumbledore, though kind and warm as usual, his voice was laced with a twinge of worry. Professor McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed deeper than usual, her lips set in a thin line of white.

"Harry, did you not notice that Lorna is missing?" Hand on hips, Hermione continued glaring at her best friend.

"I…" Harry Potter looked around the Gryffindor's table, realizing with sudden fear that Lorna indeed wasn't present.

Lorna was missing.

"_Intestinus,"_ the leader of the Masked shouted above the noise of the ongoing battle, his eyes bled red with anger as once again, Draco deflected the spell with a jinx of his own.

The battle was intense. Lorna was fighting an opponent of her own – it was a girl, she thought. Her silk black bangs were falling over her eyes, hiding her left eye from view.

"_Confringo," _the Masked girl hissed, but Lorna dodged it easily, only to widen her eyes in horror as she spun around and saw Professor Snape's arm slightly burnt.

"I… I'm so … sorry." She stuttered nervously, her eyes unable to meet his. But before he could answer…

"Lorna!" At the sound of her brother's voice, she spun back quickly to see Draco just barely avoiding a spell that was cast towards her back when her guard was down.

"Draco." She whispered in gratitude, but he was back fighting his own battle. Lorna was on her own again.

"Lorna?" Hermione called out, her voice sounding desperate even to herself. What was it that made her so protective and caring to the girl? They barely knew each other – the only time they spent together was during lunch and at the end of the day when they would sit together in front of the fireplace and talk. But she rarely spoke. She barely did anything at all.

They ran to the Gryffindor dormitory, hoping that Lorna would be huddled in one corner, waiting for them to go get her. But the dormitory was empty.

"Hermione, a note." Ron pointed towards the bed next to Hermione's.

Both boys were standing at the door of the room awkwardly; only have came in because of Hermione's sharp retort of annoyance when they protested about getting into the opposite gender's room.

Unfolding the note swiftly, a note was scrawled quickly on the piece of used paper. Hermione read aloud,

"_Hermione, Harry and Ron,_

_Selso sent this. I'll be back soon. Please cover for me._

_Lorna"_

It was a short note, but it left the three no choice but to go back to the Great Halls and cover up for Lorna.

It happened too quickly. The sudden disappearance of the girl enemy and then the unexpected '_Diffindo'_ before all of the Masked retreated into the forest quickly.

The spell was shooting towards Draco when Lorna made her move. She ran and dived in front of him before hitting the ground together.

It was dark. No one saw anything clearly, so the reason why the Masked retreated suddenly was a mystery. But mystery or not, everyone started going towards the forest except for Professor Snape, who had been standing close to Draco when the two fell to the ground.

He saw the spell crashing onto Lorna's back and saw her mouth clamp together in pain. But when Draco pulled her up and dusted his pants, Lorna showed no sign of pain or discomfort.

"Thanks Lorna, you saved my life." Draco went over and gave her a swift hug, knowing that everyone was already at the forest and no one would have seen them.

"It's fine. Let's go."

Draco nodded as he sped pass the debris and into the forest.

Lorna turned and her gaze locked with Professor Snape's, "You won't tell?"

He wasn't sure what she was asking about – her back or the fact that Draco just _hugged _a Gryffindor.

But he nodded anyways, deciding that he would keep both to himself.

Lorna nodded her thanks before turning and heading towards the entrance of the forest. She stopped in her tracks suddenly and kneeled down, breathing hard.

"Your back." Snape stated simply. It wasn't a question - it was a confirmation.

Lorna smiled weakly up at him. Before he knew it, Lorna had already put a spell on herself, disabling her back pain nerves temporarily. Both knew the aftereffect the spell caused the body – it came back at her in threefold (three times more the pain) and no one knew how long the spell could hold.

"Lo–" Professor Snape started. He wanted to say a lot of things. He wanted to ask her what her relationship was with Draco, and why she was so willing to fight for Hogwarts. He wanted to snap at her for making such a foolish move, but he didn't get the chance.

The only thing that was there to listen to him was the whisper of the wind as Lorna sped towards the forest.

**A/N – I am so sorry for the poor quality of work. I have no idea why my writers' block is so bad. I feel like I'm just cramping information into this one. Ugh. I'm so out of ideas. Sorry again!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**This chapter is dedicated to April Qian - one of my best friends and a sister forever. April, it was you who gave me the confidence and idea to restart this story again. Thank you. I love you! And good luck on the Asian History exam. We shall both rock Kearney's test – if I get this Fanfiction up in time for you to see it before… Which I doubt I will.**_

The occasional sparks of light given off by the wands lighted up the forest; the battle was still ongoing despite the fact that it was too dark to see who their opponents were. Professor Snape had followed Lorna into the depths of the woods, only to lose sight of her in them midst of the chaos almost immediately. He wanted to curse.

"Lorna! What the…" Snape whirled around to see Draco standing a few feet away from him, panting after he took down yet another Masked one. Beside him, Lorna faced him calmly; there was no sign of discomfort between a Slytherin and Gryffindor, nor was there the usual awkwardness Lorna had around people. Snape, to put it simply, was baffled. He was half-ashamed to admit that he couldn't figure Lorna out at all.

Having not noticed Snape's presence, Draco continued talking, "What do you think you're doing here? I thought I told you to – "

"I can't just let you fight in the battle alone, right?" Lorna interrupted softly, impatience lacing her words as she finally broke the eye contact and looked at the ground.

Draco sighed; his former annoyance subsided slightly as he turned around to face another opponent. "Then don't get yourself hurt," was all he mumbled before he ran back into the chaos.

"Yeah." Lorna answered to his receding silhouette as she eyed the trees warily, watching out for a surprise attack.

"Ah! A little girl, what a pleasant surprise." An unfamiliar slur sounded behind her as the trees rustled and a man walked out onto the battleground. There was an odd aura of power surrounding him; he seemed to carry himself in an old-fashioned manner, with his shoulders set squarely and his chin pointed upwards – a sign of authority and defiance.

Lorna hated him instantly.

It was quite obvious that he held quite a high-ranking among the fighting soldiers. Around them, everyone lowered their wands warily and pointed it to focus on the newcomer instead. The Masked ones retreated back into their previous formation – a tight straight line, with their wands clutched tightly in their hands – and lowered their heads respectfully. The newcomer eyed the clearing impassively. He seemed to look at all of them and none of them in particular at the same time. And then his gaze fixed on Lorna once again. His intense gaze bore into her. Lorna was never good with eye contacts; she felt embarrassed.

This time, it wasn't just embarrassment that flooded her, fear and an odd sense of hatred engulfed her as well. She clutched her fist tightly, feeling the starting of trembles, and started backing away cautiously. Her eyes never met those red and glaring eyes fully, but she felt the intensity of the glare with an overwhelming clarity. She wanted to turn around and run towards Draco, but she knew that it would ruin everything – their plans of trying to keep her hidden, the tense silence that had descended on the clearing. Even though it was awkward, she knew that the silence gave everyone the time to think and process the events that had happened so suddenly; a short break was always welcomed, wasn't it?

But the silence didn't last as long as they hoped when the newcomer spoke once again, in a booming voice, this time, addressing the whole crowd, "I see that my subordinates have caused quite a mess here," he chuckled humorlessly, sending shivers up Lorna's spine. "I know you are all confused. We haven't introduced ourselves, nor have we told you our purpose. But I hope you don't mind the confusion, because the questions cannot be answered just yet. There is a way to solve the problem, however, and I'm sure one person in this clearing already holds the answer. Alas, I have spent too much time in this nonsense. I hope the person would think it through and accomplish the difficult task. We will be waiting."

And just like that, the Masked one disappeared with a wave of the hand from the leader.

~HP~HP~HP~

Lorna turned around to find Draco when she noticed his grim expression. His lips were pressed in a thin line, his brows furrowed together; his expression was painful, and his hands were clutched his hands tightly against his sides. Lorna forced herself out of her shocked stupor and stumbled towards her brother.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Lorna whispered softly, her finger touching his clenched fist briefly – from her that was as good as a hug.

Draco didn't look up but instead, turned away to look at the center of the clearing. He wasn't staring at anything in particular, but his gaze was faraway and unfocused.

"Draco?" Lorna prompted again; she was starting to feel a little scared. She never saw Draco like this before. He was always the stone of the family, the person she leaned on when she had her doubts. He was the one that took care of her all the time, and never has she seen such a cold expression from him. His eyes were always warm, his lips always curled upwards in a soft smile. But his body was rigid, his eyes cold and lips firmly shut.

Lorna had the sudden urge to cry.

Sensing her increase of discomfort, Draco forced himself a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Go sleep," his voice came out rough, without its usual concern and warmth.

Lorna staggered backwards; this wasn't Draco, this wasn't her brother at all.

"Who… who are you?" She stuttered, panicked. She has been through a lot, but no matter how hard the circumstances, she knew that her brother would be there for her, to help her through; this time, however, her brother _was _the problem.

A flash of pain entered his eyes when she spoke those words, but it was gone as fast as it had come; Lorna wasn't sure if she saw it right.

"Lorna? Draco? Why don't you both head back to the dormitories with me?" Snape's voice was suddenly very welcoming in Lorna's ears. She turned towards him gratefully and was about to speak when Draco said, "Professor Snape, do you mind taking Lorna back first? I'll be right there."

"No! NO! What happened to you, Draco? You're… you're never like this. I thought you won't keep anything from me," Lorna forgot that she wasn't suppose to know Draco well, that she was suppose to be under a fake identity; she forgot everything in her panic. She couldn't leave him like this; she had to stay with him.

Fortunately, the only people left in the clearing were the three of them. Lorna rambled on, "Why? Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" As if a sudden thought occurred to her, Lorna's eyes opened wide, "Draco… did the leader mean you? Were you the one that has to accomplish the task?" Her voice was barely a whisper now, struggling to make everything clear.

Draco flinched slightly and was about to speak when Lorna screamed. She fell hard against the floor and writhed in pain, her hands clutching her back; her breaths came in gasps, "Draco… tell me, please."

Draco knelt down immediately in alarm, "Lorna? Lorna! What's wrong?" Turning towards Professor Snape, "Professor Snape, can you…" But he was already there, gently pushing away Lorna's arms and circling his own to support her weight.

Snape turned towards Draco, "Come with me," and he walked swiftly back towards the school before Draco could protest.

~HP~HP~HP~

"Black Diamond?" Lorna tested the words in her mouth again, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"So he wants you to find this diamond in 'a place higher than Heaven and lower than Hell; the place where no sun shines but bathes in the glow of the moon', what kind of place is that suppose to be?" Snape growled in frustration. He ran his hands through his hair roughly, scowling as his eyes threatened to droop down and close for the sleep that he longed for.

"Yeah, I don't understand it either. But I think I'll have to go and figure things out, or else this mystery would never be solved." Draco's tone was definite and confident; both Snape and Lorna knew that he wouldn't waver from his decision.

"I'll go with you then."

The two male occupants in the room simultaneously turned to glare at her, "No you are not," they said together.

Lorna sighed, "I'm fine. My back isn't bothering me anymore."

"Oh? So it's your back that was hurt." Draco raised his eyebrow and allowed himself a small, satisfied grin. He had tried for quite a few times in the past two hours to get Lorna to tell him where she was hurt – but to no avail.

Lorna blushed deeply; ducking her head under the covers to escape the amused look her brother was giving her.

"Since the question that Draco was dying to know is answered, do I get to ask one too?" Snape asked with an unusual and _very_ rare teasing-tone.

Lorna cocked her head to one side; confusion filled her eyes as she looked at Draco quickly. A silent understanding seem to pass through them as they both sat upright and looked at Professor Snape with an all-too-innocent look.

"What's the relationship between you two?" Snape asked in an equally innocent tone.

Lorna flushed and looked at Draco for help. Draco was biting his lips, an odd expression plastered on his face. He didn't know what to feel – amused at the irony, or scared that their biggest secret was going to be exploited to the Dark Lord's most trusted Death Eater… or was he now?

But somehow, the two youngsters felt a sense of comfort and trust in the aloof professor. And that trust and comfort allowed Draco to open his mouth, his eyes accepting the silent agreement that the professor has said through his eyes, that he would promise to keep it a secret. Professor Snape was shocked when he heard what Draco said, but the only reaction he had was a simple, genuine smile.

"_We're siblings."_

_**I love you April. Thank you for everything. You're just like Draco to me xD **__***wink***_


End file.
